Women CLAP BACK in Music and the Arts

Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 10:00 am
to 5:00 pm

In social media, “clapbacks” are strong rebuttals to derogatory and insulting anonymous comments. They respond to racial and sexual disparities in the online world, but how does this resistance work in our real-life arts worlds? How do women who are active in alternative scenes like metal or punk, or DJs, writers, journalists, photographers, and pornographers push beyond the assumptions they constantly face? This one-day symposium features writers, activists, musicians, and creative artists whose presence as women of color, queer, trans* and/or gender non-conforming enables them to clap back to patriarchal, sexist, and racially intolerant creative spaces today.

Panels:

The Slutist Panel: Defining Our Sexuality on Our Terms: BDSM, pornography and sexual fetishes are while often discussed, are often shunned in "polite company." Join a discussion about how alternative sex play serves as a positive form of sexual expression and liberation for women of color.

Race and Gender in Extreme Music: Despite the ability to discover a myriad of musical online that encourages a more culturally and sexually diverse music listenership than ever before, for women of color, acceptance (both online and in-person) can still be difficult. Hear the experiences of women involved in the metal, hardcore and punk scene that despite the obstacles, find these spaces the only places they want to be.

Are You Quirky? Challenging the Status Quo in Arts and Culture: Not only are women of color participating in the alternative arts, they are creating unique perspectives that shatter stereotypes and inspire others. Join a discussion led by cosplayers, graphic designers and other artists who are breaking boundaries.

Navigating Race and Feminism in the Music Industry: What's it like to be a feminist of color in a male-dominated industry? Do you have to adjust your philosophy in order to make a name for yourself? Listen to the experiences of women journalists, photographers and DJ's about the positives and challenges in working in the underground music industry.

To be a Musician.....and a Woman: Enough with the "what’s it like to be a..." questions. This panel will get down to the nitty gritty about trials and tribulations of being a woman musician. Yeah, its 2016, but are women musicians really seen as equals to their male colleagues? What is like to have to compromise your ideals in order to play music in NYC? What happens when your politics conflict with your bandmates?

In addition, The CLAP BACK will feature “lightning talks,” five-minute discussions by students at The New School and a one-on-one interview with New School student Simone Maurice, the founder of Multi Media Maverick and the producer behind the upcoming video series on alternative black artists, Black and Loud.